1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a melody creating apparatus and method, and a machine readable medium containing program instructions for realizing such an apparatus and a method, and more particularly to an apparatus and a method for creating a length of melody, in which different melody motif pieces are provided and are placed at different positions along the length of a melody to be created, and are respectively developed to create melody fractions for the remaining spans in the length of a melody to be created. Thus, the invention is capable of creating a melody including plural motifs which will give different musical sensations. The invention is applicable in various kinds of electronic musical apparatuses such as an electronic musical instrument, an automatic music composing apparatus, and a computer-system-configured music composing apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Among various types of melody creating apparatuses known heretofore, there is a type of melody creating apparatus in which a melody motif is given at the top portion of a length of melody and the motif is developed for the succeeding portion to complete a melody having the length of a tune. But, with such a type of apparatus, only a melody motif for the top portion of a tune can be inputted, and no other motifs can be given for the middle or intermediate portions of a tune, and therefore the user""s intention cannot be fully reflected for a melody to be created. For example, even if one wishes to make a melody having quiet portions and vivid portions, or slow portions and quick portions in the middle of the melody, one can input only a single motif which may be either quiet or vivid, or either slow or quick, and consequently if one inputs a motif having a character of being quiet and slow, a melody having tranquility and slowness can be created, but a melody having a vividness and quickness will not always be obtained.
It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide a melody creating apparatus and method and a machine readable medium containing a program therefor capable of creating a length of melody which will reflect user""s intention to include different and even opposing musical characters.
According to the present invention, the object is accomplished by providing a musical apparatus for creating a length of melody based on a plurality of given melody motifs, the apparatus comprising: a melody motif provider which provides a plurality of melody motifs; a melody motif locater which locates the plurality of melody motifs at a plurality of positions along the length of a melody to be created; and a melody fraction developer which develops each of the located melody motifs to make a developed melody fraction for each of the remaining positions other than the positions where the melody motifs have been located along the length of a melody to be created, the located melody motifs and the developed melody fractions in combination constituting the melody to be created.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the melody creating apparatus is to create a length of melody consisting of a plurality of melody blocks; each of the plurality of positions at which the plurality of melody motifs are located is determined within each of the plurality of melody blocks; and the melody fraction developer develops each melody motif located within each melody block to make a developed melody fraction for the remaining positions within each melody block.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the melody creating apparatus further comprises a melody character designator which designates a character for each of the melody blocks; and wherein the melody fraction developer develops each melody motif within each melody block based on the designated character for each melody block to make a developed melody fraction for each melody block.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, the melody creating apparatus is to create a length of melody including at least one melody block which consists of a plurality of musical sentences, and the melody motif located in such at least one melody block is located at one of the plurality of musical sentences; the apparatus further comprises a sentence similarity designator which designates degrees of similarity in terms of musical properties among the musical sentences to be created, the degrees of similarity indicating at least whether the sentences are identical or similar or different from one to another; and the melody fraction developer develops the melody motif located on such at least one melody block based on the designated degrees of similarity to make a developed melody fractions for the respective musical sentences.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, the melody fraction developer develops the melody motif located on the melody block by copying the melody motif located at the one musical sentence for other sentences which are designated to be identical or similar to the sentence at which the melody motif is located in making the developed melody fractions.
According to the present invention, the object is further accomplished by providing a method for creating a length of melody based on a plurality of given melody motifs, the method comprising: a step of providing a plurality of melody motifs; a step of locating the plurality of melody motifs at a plurality of positions along the length of a melody to be created; and a step of developing each of the located melody motifs to make a developed melody fraction for each of the remaining positions other than the positions where the melody motifs have been located along the length of a melody to be created, the located melody motifs and the developed melody fractions in combination constituting the melody to be created.
According to a still firther aspect of the present invention, the method is to create a length of melody consisting of a plurality of melody blocks; and each of the plurality of positions at which said plurality of melody motifs are located is determined within each of the plurality of melody blocks; and the step of developing melody fraction develops each melody motif located within each melody block to make a developed melody fraction for the remaining positions within each melody block.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, the method further comprises a step of designating a character for each of the melody blocks; and wherein the step of developing melody fraction develops each melody motif within each melody block based on the designated character for each melody block to make a developed melody fraction for each melody block.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, the method is to create a length of melody including at least one melody block which consists of a plurality of musical sentences, and the melody motif located in such at least one melody block is located at one of the plurality of musical sentences; the method further comprises a step of designating degrees of similarity in terms of musical properties among the musical sentences to be created, the degrees of similarity indicating at least whether the sentences are identical or similar or different from one to another; and wherein the step of developing the melody fraction develops the melody motif located on such at least one melody block based on the designated degrees of similarity to make a developed melody fractions for the respective musical sentences.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, the step of developing the melody fraction develops the melody motif located on the melody block by copying the melody motif located at one musical sentence for other sentences which are designated to be identical or similar to the sentence at which the melody motif is located, in making the developed melody fractions.
According to the present invention, the object is still further accomplished by providing a storage medium storing a program that is executable by a computer for creating a length of melody based on a plurality of given melody motifs, the program comprising: a module for providing a plurality of melody motifs; a module for locating the plurality of melody motifs at a plurality of positions along the length of a melody to be created; and a module for developing each of the located melody motifs to make a developed melody fraction for each of the remaining positions other than the positions where the melody motifs have been located along the length of a melody to be created, the located melody motifs and the developed melody fractions in combination constituting the melody to be created.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, the program is to create a length of melody consisting of a plurality of melody blocks; and each of the plurality of positions at which the plurality of melody motifs are located is to be determined within each of the plurality of melody blocks; and the module for developing the melody fraction develops each melody motif located within each melody block to make a developed melody fraction for the remaining positions within each melody block.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, the program may further include a module for designating a character for each of the melody blocks, and wherein the module for developing the melody fraction develops each melody motif within each melody block based on the designated character for each melody block to make a developed melody fraction for each melody block.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, the program is to create a length of melody including at least one melody block which consists of a plurality of musical sentences, and the melody motif located in such at least one melody block is located at one of the plurality of musical sentences; the program further comprises a module for designating degrees of similarity in terms of musical properties among the musical sentences to be created, the degrees of similarity indicating at least whether the sentences are identical or similar or different from one to another; and the module for developing the melody fraction develops the melody motif located on such at least one melody block based on the designated degrees of similarity to make a developed melody fractions for the respective musical sentences.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, the module for developing the melody fraction contained in the program develops the melody motif located on the melody block by copying the melody motif located at one musical sentence for other sentences which are designated to be identical or similar to the sentence at which the melody motif is located, in making developed melody fractions.
According to the present invention, the melody motifs may be provided by the user inputting melody motifs manually, and also may be provided by the apparatus automatically generating motif pieces according to some application software containing a music composing algorithm, and further may be downloaded from a server computer via a communication network.
According to the present invention, therefore, a melody containing plural different characters will be created from the given different melody motif pieces.